France Arrests 1,200 After Riots Torch City Halls as Political Blame Game Erupts
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 18
France Arrests 1,200 After Riots Torch City Halls as Political Blame Game Erupts
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 18
Summary
1,200 arrests followed Saturday unrest that turned France’s biggest demonstrations in years into riots and looting, leaving streets strewn with shattered glass and public buildings burned.
Limoges’ 19th-century city hall was largely destroyed in a nighttime arson attack, while attackers also hit city halls in Lille and Marseille and a tourist office in Lyon.
Sunday’s immediate aftermath shifted from street violence to politics, with government officials accusing the far left of fueling the unrest and a left-wing leader blaming the government.
The attacks on Marianne symbols and municipal buildings underscored how the violence spread nationwide and struck at visible emblems of the French state.